US-backed Syrian fighters advancing on the Islamic State (ISIS) group in the strategic northern town of Manbij have progressed to within five kilometres of the jehadist bastion, a monitor said on Sunday.
Supported by air strikes by the US-led coalition battling ISIS in Syria and Iraq, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias launched an assault last week on Manbij.
“The Syrian Democratic Forces are now within about five kilometres of the strategic city of Manbij,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group.
Manbij is located along a route connecting Raqa — the IS group’s de facto capital in Syria — to the Turkish border, a vital conduit for supplies and foreign fighters.
At least 74 people have died in the fighting since the start of the offensive last Monday, including 32 civilians mainly killed as a result of coalition air strikes, said the Observatory, which relies on a network of medics and activists to monitor the conflict.
Thirty jihadists were also killed, it said, along with 12 SDF fighters.